Gruesome 2018, Year Of Terror
Pini Bothoko | Monday December 17, 2018 14:57
Such cases seem to give evidence to the lack of value on the sanctity of human life, where certain individuals resort to killing whenever it suited them. In 2016, Botswana Police Service recorded 285 murder cases.
The number increased to 307 in 2017. This year to date police have recorded close to 600 murder cases with women leading the number of victims.
The police have disclosed that growing drug use seems to be a contributing factor in most of the violent crime cases.
The murder cases that illustrated the gruesome acts of violence against women started on April 4, 2018 in which the police received a call of a half naked woman dumped in a dense bush of Ledumadumane, in Mogoditshane. It was suspected that the woman might have been raped.
Two months later on June 21, Molepolole residents were shocked by the murder of a husband and wife, Patrick and Boingotlo Fridah and their son, Keabetswe Ramantosha.
The trio was found tied up and killed in their home at Ntloelengwae ward, in Molepolole.
Weeks later whilst the family and residents were still mourning the gruesome triple murder, the police arrested the couple’s other son, Tebogo, and three accused persons charging them with three counts of murder. Three days later on June 24, Broadhurst police recorded a horrific murder case in which a man aged 28 killed his mother by stabbing her multiple times with a knife at Ginger-Broadhurst location in Gaborone.
Pako Charlie was believed to be under the influence of drugs at the time when he committed the crime.
A day later Jwaneng police recorded yet another horrific murder case in which a 24-year-old woman of Sesung was found naked and dead in a bush at Unit 2 location of the mining town. The deceased was suspected to have been raped.
It was alleged that the victim had visited Jwaneng to attend the annual 1000km Desert Race popularly known as Mantshwabisi.
Whilst the country was still reeling in shock, the police recorded yet another gruesome murder, after the headless body of Elizabeth Bonolo Kerekang was found dumped at Maratanang ward in Tlokweng.
Days later, Kerekang’s boyfriend, Simon Badisa Kgowe currently in police custody was arrested and charged for her murder. The police are still searching for Kerekang’s decapitated head to this day.
Besides the murder cases that kept the police on their toes, rape cases are still a grave concern to the men and women in blue, even though preliminary statistics seem to suggest that rape cases have declined this year. During their senior officers conference early this year, the police revealed that Mogoditshane is leading in rape cases.
In 2016 the peri-urban village recorded 150 rape cases and the number rose to 159 cases in 2017.
However, there has been a decline this year as the precinct has recorded 70 rape cases from January to November.
Mogoditshane police have disclosed that most of the cases were date rape, as the perpetrators are often casual friends or individuals who victims are familiar with.
Police raised a concern over escalating date rape incidents pointing out that there are only a few incidents where women were attacked in their houses or whilst walking.
Police say a majority of victims would on that fateful day had spent some time with the perpetrators, who would have been entertaining them, and showering them with goodies and later demanding sex in return.
They (police) have revealed that some men feel entitled to sex after taking a woman out, which in most cases leads to the woman being raped.
Some of the victims are even children below the age of 15, who were in some instances attacked by older men whilst walking from school.
Mid-May this year a 15-year-old girl was attacked and raped by two men on her way back from school.
The two men allegedly stopped their vehicle next to the teenage girl and forcefully dragged her into the car, covered her face and took her to a house where they took turns raping her.
After repeatedly raping her, they took her back to the spot where they abducted her and drove away. A month ago, two 11-year-old girls were also raped in two different incidents in Mogoditshane.
In one occasion, an unknown man attacked an 11-year-old girl at a bus stop late in the evening. He dragged her to a nearby bush and raped her. The other little girl was gang raped by two unknown men who broke into her home while she and her siblings were asleep. The suspects, who are still at large, then demanded money and cellphones from the children, but with nothing to steal, they took the young girl to a nearby bush and took turns raping her instead.